Flooding resulting from heavy and steady rainfall that started in February, and which is expected to continue through May, has caused catastrophic damage in the South American country of Ecuador.

Up to the end of February, an estimated 16 persons were killed. The heavy rains caused more than US$200 million in damage and destruction to property, and more than 250,000 acres of farmland were flooded. As a result, the president of the country, Rafael Correa, declared a state of emergency, saying, according to Reuters AlertNet, "This is not an emergency, this is a disaster. We don't have enough resources to help all the victims."

Parrish Jácome, pastor of the Christian Baptist Church in Guayaquil, reported to the BWA that "many farmers have lost their harvests." Children, he said, suffer from "infections and diseases that are usually caused by unclean water and lack of supplies." Jácome, former president of the Baptist Convention of Ecuador, a member body of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), further stated that "more than 10,000 families need supplies, medicine, clothing, and first aid equipment to survive."

Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA, has sent US$10,000 in emergency relief assistance. "We would appreciate your response to fulfill the needs... so we can serve as the bridge of help to these people," Jácome appealed to director of BWAid, Paul Montacute.

The heavy rains are said to be caused by La Niña, an unusual cooling of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures that can trigger widespread changes in weather around the world, including hurricanes and torrential rain. The effects of this system are expected to last until June.